On the brink

The fashion story of the week? Not Ascot, but the Louis Vuitton menswear show, held at vast expense on Paris’s Pont Neuf. As the debut collection of Pharrell Williams and the first full collection to be shown since Virgil Abloh’s death, this was never not going to be a big deal. But even the house’s staunchest supporters were unprepared for the spectacle.

Front row? Oh, just Beyonce and JayZ, Rihanna and A$AP, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Tyler The Creator, Naomi Campbell, Lenny Kravitz and Miranda Kerr. Their presence (and what they wore) dominated all coverage, as was the intention, with many critics pointing out that the show ushered in a new age of “fashion as entertainment”, thanks to a post-show performance by Jay-Z and the accompaniment of a gospel choir. 

Fashion has been entertainment for decades, though I accept that the appointment of Pharrell, a rapper, producer and tech entrepreneur who isn’t fashion trained, further cements this POV. “I didn’t go to Central St Martins but, you know, I didn’t go to Juillard to study music. And I’ve been all right,” Pharrell has said. 

Is it game over for fashion designers? JW Anderson didn’t go to Central St Martins either (he famously got rejected), but he did study menswear at The London College of Fashion, and without his talents, it’s fair to say the Vuitton show would not have looked as it did.

Less than 24 hours after the Vuitton show, – Christopher Kane – who did go to Central St Martins – was revealed to be on the brink of collapse, and bringing in insolvency administrators. There is no positive spin to put on this. Fashion is increasingly all about marketing, but without creative ideas, there’s not much to market. It’s worth remembering that.